Paul is the latest star to be linked to the film. If negotiations are successful, he will play a Hebrew slave named Joshua, who will go on to lead the people to the Promised Land. Sigourney Weaver and John Turturro have both signed contracts to appear in the film; they will portray the pharaoh Ramses' parents.

Joel Edgerton will play Ramses, while Bale will take the lead role of Moses. Ben Kingsley has also been tapped to appear in the film as a Hebrew scholar, though it's unknown whether that deal has been closed.

The film is set to begin filming in September and travel throughout England, Spain and Morocco. Steve Zallian, who worked on "Schindler's List," "Moneyball," and "Gangs of New York" is currently working on the script for the film.

Scott told Esquire magazine in March that he was "really intrigued by those eternal questions of creation and belief and faith. I don't care who you are; it's what we all think about. It's in the back of all of our minds," the director said.

"Exodus" will follow Moses' life as he leads the Israelites out of slavery, into the Sinai desert, and closer to the Promised Land. The veteran actors will bring fresh air to the familiar story, which will join a host of other Bible-based films including Darren Aronofsky's movie based on Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and another about the life of Pontius Pilate. "Ben Hur" is also scheduled to be remade in the near future, but so far no one has been tapped to take on the iconic Charlton Heston role.

"What's interesting to me about Moses isn't the big stuff that everybody knows," Scott told Esquire magazine. "It's things like his relationship with Ramses. I honestly wasn't paying attention in school when I was told the story of Moses. Some of the details of his life are extraordinary."